Middletown crime spree leads to arson, vandalism charges

A Missouri man is facing multiple charges after a crime spree in Middletown that included fires at two businesses.

Aaron Cypret, 21, of West Plains, Mo., was arrested early Sunday morning after Warren County Sheriff’s deputies stopped him walking with a gun, believed to have been stolen, with gasoline on his clothes, according to Middletown Police Lt. Jimmy Cunningham.

After an investigation by the the Middletown Arson Task Force, Cypret was charged with two counts of arson, theft of a firearm and vandalism

MORE: Bed bugs, fireworks used by vandals

Cypret was in town working for a floor-installing company when he had an argument with friends at a bar, police said. He then broke into Jiffy Lube on Roosevelt Avenue, poured gas inside and started a fire, Cunningham said.

After leaving Jiffy Lube, Cypret set fire to landscaping outside Lowes on Towne Boulevard, Cunningham said. Then Cypret damaged handicapped signs, pulled out bushes and ripped up an irrigation line at Baker-Stevens-Parramore Funeral Home on Roosevelt Avenue, according to Cunningham.

Cypret remains housed in the Middletown Jail. He is scheduled to be in city court on July 24 for a preliminary hearing.

MORE: 3 men charged in Middletown arson will face grand jury

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About the Author

Lauren Pack

Lauren Pack, a native of the Miami Valley, has been on staff at the Journal-News since 1994 reporting on courts and crime.